


The New Neighbor

by EpicLilKitty



Series: His Angel, Her Punk [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien does NOT ship it, Adrien is the bad guy, Adult Life, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alya ships it, Angst, Bad Boy Luka AU, Broken Engagement, Chloe is... Chloe, DJWifi, Emotionally Abusive Adrien, Eventual Fluff, Gabe Treats Marinette like a daughter, Human Kwami, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Adrien, Lukanette, Mentor!Gabriel, Mild Adrienette, Miscarriage, Multi, Nino kinda ships it, Painful Backstory, Possessive Adrien, Protective Gabriel, Slight Chloe Redemption, So much angst, Super OOC Adrien Agreste, Vulnerable Marinette, coffee shop AU, moving forward, multiple POVs, no powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-04-17 20:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14197116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpicLilKitty/pseuds/EpicLilKitty
Summary: Marinette has a new neighbor. He likes to play his Guitar at 2 AM every night....In which Marinette is not amused and Luka is a smitten kitten





	1. The New Neighbor

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had had enough. It was just past two in the morning; a time when normal people should be blissfully asleep. A time when she ought to have been asleep. Instead, the twenty-three-year-old was laying in her bed, a pillow held tightly over her ears as the sound of an electric guitar pierced what should have been peaceful silence. When she had moved into the apartment six months prior, she had believed it to be nothing short of perfect. The one bedroom apartment was located in the heart of downtown Paris, walking distance to her University, and a short transit ride to Gabriel Headquarters, where she was currently participating in an internship program. The apartment was small, but it was cozy and it was hers and that's what she had loved about it. Well that, and the adorable little balcony that had been turned into her own little garden Oasis over the past few months. And then her new neighbor had moved in a month ago.

Before he (or she) had arrived, Marinette had had no issues getting to sleep after long days jam-packed with work, school, and interning. She was so tired by the time she returned, she often face planted onto her bed without dinner. Now, sleep was firmly a thing of the past because her new neighbor was apparently a hardcore insomniac with a penchant for playing his (or her) guitar absurdly loud in the wee hours of the morning when normal people ought to have been in bed. Every. _Single._ Night! Clearly, he (or she) was not normal and now because of him (or her) neither was Marinette. And she was pretty damn sick and tired of not getting a decent night's rest at this point. Rolling onto her stomach, she screamed her frustration into her pillow before finally flinging it against the far wall in defeat. That was it; she was _done._ Marinette Dupain-Cheng wasn’t normally a confrontational person. In fact, at Gabriel, she was usually the one trying to diffuse tension when fights broke out. At this point, however, her health was hanging in the balance. She hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep since this asshole had moved in. She wanted retribution. She wanted _blood._ And by the grace of God, she was going to get it.

Throwing a robe on over the tiny pink shorts and thin tank top she often wore to bed, Marinette headed for the door. Out in the hall, the music was even louder than before and she had to grit her teeth from screaming again in annoyance. She didn’t have a pillow to muffle the sound this time and unlike her new neighbor, she was actually considerate of the people living around her. Walking the few feet to the door next to hers, Marinette lifted her hand and knocked politely. She waited for a few beats before knocking a bit harder. When that still didn’t work, her irritation got the best of her and she slammed the flat of her hand against the door several times in rapid succession, as hard as she could. The music cut off abruptly, leaving the hallway outside in heavy silence. Marinette stepped back a bit, shifting impatiently from one foot to the next as she waited for the door to open. There was a lot of shuffling on the other side, a thump and a groan of pain that gave her an intense feeling of satisfaction, and then, finally, the lock clicked and the door swung open.

Marinette had been fully prepared to yell at whoever was on the other side of the door for disturbing her sleep, but her mind kind of blanked when she caught sight of him and the words seemed to shrivel up and die in her throat. The man before her was absolutely _gorgeous._ He had that whole ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ thing going for him. Easily over six feet, her new neighbor dwarfed her five foot nothing, less than a hundred pounds soaking wet stature. He was broad shouldered, wearing a faded band tee-shirt and black skinny jeans that were ripped at both knees. His skin was olive toned, and he had an angular face with intense, ocean blue eyes and a mop of disheveled black hair tipped in vibrant turquoise. He blinked down at her silently, seeming as surprised to see her as she was to see him. Fortunately, he seemed to find his voice first and she would be lying if she didn’t find the sound to be ridiculously attractive. He had a deep, smooth timbre that could only be aptly described as sexy. Oh, sweet baby Jesus, she was in trouble.

“Hello,” he said smoothly, leaning slightly against the door frame and smirking down at her. Despite the man’s beauty, Marinette felt the first inkling of irritation returning to her. “Can I help you?”

“You can,” she finally said firmly, bristling as he quirked an eyebrow. He seemed to know exactly what his presence was doing to her and she didn’t like it.

“You gonna tell me what I can help you _with_ , sweetheart? Or are you just going to stand there and ogle me all night? Not that I mind, of course… but I was a bit busy,” he said, amusement obvious in both his tone and on his face. Marinette scowled, blue eyes narrowing to slits as she glared up at him.

“I- I am not ogling you! And don’t call me sweetheart,” she spat, hating the telltale blush suffusing her cheeks. One thing she hated about her perpetually pale skin… she couldn’t hide it when she blushed no matter how hard she tried.

“Sure you’re not… Angel. Now, I believe you were about to tell me why you’re outside my door dressed in… a bathrobe?” This time his grin was unrepentant and Marinette struggled to cling to her anger. His smile was boyishly charming and as brilliant as a ray of sunlight. _Shit, I’m in so much trouble._

“R-right. You- um… your guitar. Sleep. I was trying to. Sleep. That is… could you keep it down?” She struggled to get the words out, hating how flustered she was getting over a silly smile. She felt like she was back in College again.

“Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was close enough to hear me,” he apologized, a genuinely regretful look killing the smile that had graced his features moments before. The ravenette hated to admit it, even to herself, but she really wanted to put that smile back on his face.

“Oh um, I actually live right next door?” She squeaked, making the words sound like a question rather than a statement. Awkwardly, she pointed to her door and offered him a sheepish smile.

“Shit, I really am sorry. Have I been keeping you up _every night_ ?” The horror on his face might have been comical if Marinette didn’t feel so bad for him. He clearly hadn’t meant any harm. She shifted from foot to foot, looking everywhere but at her new neighbor, but her silence was enough. “I _have_. Oh man, I swear I had no idea… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around and your apartment is always so quiet,” he said, grimacing.

“I- I’m not home much,” she admitted with a shrug.”That being said, we do have other neighbors and I’m sure they can still hear you… even if they don’t live right next door. You should try _sleeping_ at night,” she pointed out dryly. He blinked at her, seeming surprised she had made an attempt at a joke, before offering her a small smile.

“True… but I _am_ really sorry. Can I make it up to you somehow?” He asked, startling Marinette just as she was about to turn away. She paused and looked back at him with a slightly skeptical look, but he was undeterred. “Maybe I could take you out to dinner sometime?”

Turning fully, Marinette gave him a deadpan expression. “Are you asking me out?”

“Um… yes, I think I am,” he admitted with a sheepish grin. Marinette arched a brow, unimpressed, and made a show of checking her nonexistent watch.

“At half-past two in the morning?” She adds.

“I suppose I am…” He shrugs, unconcerned about the time.

“I don’t know your name,” she points out.

“Luka. Luka Couffaine.” He offers immediately with a triumphant grin.

“You don’t know my name,” she retorts.

“You could _give_ me your name… though I’m more than happy to keep calling you Angel. It suits you,” he said, chuckling at the glare she sent his way.

“I don’t think I like you enough to go on a date with you,” she finally said decisively. She would have turned away then, but Luka stepped closer, invading her personal space as his eyes gleamed down at her in the dim lighting of the hallway.

“Let me change your mind,” he whispered huskily. Marinette squeaked, cheeks blazing scarlet as she blinked owlishly up at the man before taking a healthy step back. Luka smirked, clearly enjoying the way he affected her, and she scowled wanting nothing more than to wipe the self-satisfied smirk off his face.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Goodnight, Luka,” she turned abruptly, scurrying to her door as quickly as possible without appearing as if she were running away. The deep chuckle that followed her made her think she had been unsuccessful. Her hand was on the doorknob when he called out to her, amusement evident in his voice.

“Hey, wait… you never did tell me your name,” he said. She paused, glancing back at him hesitantly before sighing in defeat. After all, giving him her name seemed harmless enough. They were neighbors, after all, and it made sense to try being on civil terms.

“It’s Ma-ma-marinette,” she finally stammered awkwardly, deciding to omit her last name for the time being. A grin lit Luka’s face, once more rivaling the sun itself in its brilliance, and she swallowed hard before turning abruptly back to her door and pushing it open. Luka’s voice seemed to follow her as she slipped into the dark entryway, sending bolts of electricity shooting through her.

“Goodnight, Ma-ma-marinette.”

 

The next morning, Marinette Dupain-Cheng awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring noisily from her bedside table. She groaned, burying her face in her pillow and slapping blindly for the off switch. She finally found it, casting the apartment in blissful silence… for all of two seconds before her dog started yapping noisily. The young woman cracked open one eye, then the next, blinking blearily around the room but the animal was nowhere in sight and she resigned herself to having to actually get out of bed to end the noise… and her suffering. Shoving herself up, she managed to trip her way out of bed, groaning as her knee banged ungracefully into the bedside table before she straightened and stumbled to the bedroom door. The door was slightly ajar, and she slipped through it and trudged slowly down the hall towards the sound of her dog’s continuous yapping. She found the little creature barking, whining, and scratching at the front door.

Marinette had never really considered herself to be that much of a dog person, but when her friends Rose and Juleka asked her to accompany them to the Animal Shelter and help them pick out a kitten to add to their little family, she had been incapable of saying no. Rose’s puppy dog eyes would likely be the death of the raven-haired woman. Not, of course, that she had genuinely minded helping out. She did actually like cats and had toyed with the idea of adopting one of her own while she was there… until she had wandered into the dog section because, while Juleka was allergic to dogs, Rose loved them and just wanted to ‘see the puppies’. Marinette had followed, nose wrinkled as she eyeballed the drool hanging from the jowls of one particularly large dog, until she came across a kennel that was seemingly devoid of life. Curious, she had looked over the kennel, totally passing over the fluffy loaf-like mass in the center of the kennel until it moved. That’s when she realized the loaf she had previously mistaken for a misshapen dog bed or a toy, was actually a small dog with soulful brown eyes and pointed ears much too big for its body. A corgi, Rose had supplied as Marinette had stared at the animal, starstruck.

An hour later, Marinette had returned to the apartment she had (at the time) shared with Alya and Nino, the dog in tow. Nino had been a bit skeptical, especially when the dog had hopped straight onto the couch and shoved its entire head into the bowl of popcorn sitting between the aspiring DJ and his girlfriend… but the dog had eventually won him over and Alya had jokingly dubbed the animal ‘Popcorn’. Needless to say, the name had stuck and now, three years later, Marinette couldn’t imagine life without the creature. Even if, at times like these, she wanted to murder the furball in the name of sleep. Popcorn paused as her owner came into view, stubby tail wagging furiously before she yipped and returned to scratching at the door.

“What is so exciting about the door this morning?” Marinette asked, unamused as she crossed the room to scoop up the little dog. Unlocking the door, she opened it a crack and poked her head outside, but the hall was devoid of life. She was about to chalk it up to her dog just being insane when something red caught her eye and drew her gaze down towards her welcome mat. There, sitting on the ironic mat that read _‘Home is Where the Corgi Is’_ was a single red rose. The mat had been a housewarming gift from Alya when she had moved in six months ago. Something told her the rose was _not_ from her best friend. Opening the door wider, she glanced up and down the hall once more before adjusting her hold on Popcorn and stooping to pick up the flower. The rose had been painstakingly de-thorned, and a small tag was tied with blue ribbon to the stem just before the petals began. Returning to her apartment, Marinette shut the door and set Popcorn down before lifting the small tag so she could read the writing. In the center of the card, in beautiful, flowing script, read the words _I’m Sorry_.

Marinette felt her heart leap into her throat as she stared at the rose, almost as if she could physically imagine the boy who had given it to her. It had to be Adrien, right? In the last few months, he had made his interest in them getting back together fairly obvious and while she was flattered, she had thus far held firm to the notion that Adrien Agreste was _not_ the guy for her. Attractive though he was, and as much as he had made her heart flutter all through their school years, dating Adrien had made it plainly clear that he wasn’t the guy for her. Or at least that’s what she kept reminding herself whenever he tried to convince her to give him another chance. It wasn’t that she hated the guy or anything… Adrien was still one of her best friends and she still cared for him deeply. Dating him had just proven too difficult for her.

From her bedroom, another alarm began to blare loudly and with a squeak, Marinette hurried to shut it off. Dwelling on what had been, or what could be again, wasn’t how she should be spending her morning. It was seven thirty in the morning and she had to be at the cafe to meet Alya and Nino for their ritualistic morning coffee before class. Besides, she knew the second she told Alya she had finally met her obnoxious neighbor, she would go full journalist mode on the aspiring fashion designer and demand to know what had happened. Lord knew, they would probably talk about it for the duration of their coffee date. Grinning to herself and with a skip in her step, Marinette returned to her bedroom to shut off the alarm and choose an outfit for the day. Perhaps this day wouldn’t be so bad. Despite the lack of sleep, meeting Luka had given her hope for the future. Not, of course, that she was interested in _him_. She had had just about enough of smug, self-assured men to last a lifetime.

However, if Luka was showing her such blatant interest than perhaps other guys would as well. It had been two years since she had broken up with Adrien Agreste, and maybe now was the time to start seriously thinking about dating again. She was only twenty-three years old, after all. She was young, reasonably attractive, and she had a promising career ahead of herself in the world of Fashion. She felt she was a fairly good candidate for girlfriend material. She just had to find the right guy. Someone who wouldn’t stomp all over her heart. Someone relaxed, maybe bookish… someone _safe_. Basically, the exact opposite of what Alya thought she needed… which was a bonafide bad boy, complete with sleeve tattoos, ripped jeans, and a leather jacket. Alya’s words, not hers. Marinette didn’t want a bad boy. Of course, she didn’t want the golden boy either.

Adrien had been the very definition of ‘golden boy’. Perfect, supermodel Adrien Agreste. Perfectly polite, perfectly sweet, perfectly perfect… until he had ripped out her heart and trampled all over it. Yeah, no… she didn’t want a golden boy either. She needed that perfect mix of good and bad. That middle ground that wouldn’t make her fear for her heart’s safety. She needed someone like… Nathaniel Kurtzberg, perhaps. Not exactly a bad boy but he wasn’t a golden boy either. They had been friends in College and she knew he had a crush on her back then. They had lost touch after going to different Lycee’s, but now they attended the same University and had formed an easy friendship complete with late night study sessions and the occasional coffee date. Nathaniel didn’t make her heart flutter, but maybe that was a good thing. He was a good, safe bet. Perhaps she would run her idea past Alya and see what she thought. It could also send a message to Adrien that she was no longer interested, if she was dating again. It was a win win situation and with a grin on her face and a skip to her step, Marinette headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, suddenly feeling much more optimistic about the day to come.

  


Luka Couffaine was _not_ an early riser. For as long as he could remember, he had been plagued with insomnia. The young man was notorious for sleeping through the day and staying up all night. He normally didn’t go to sleep until four or five in the morning. Last night, he found himself in bed and sleeping almost _peacefully_ , all because a raven-haired beauty had deigned to give him a piece of her mind. Luka did genuinely feel bad that he had apparently been keeping the poor girl up all night for the last month, but he couldn’t regret meeting her. There was something about her that called to him. He was hooked, and now that he knew such a gem was living right next door to him, he was determined to win her over. Which is why Luka Couffaine found himself awake once more at six the next morning, heading for the flower shop on the corner that was owned by his sister-in-law, Rose Couffaine.

Rose was an early riser. The type of person who could be bright eyed and bushy tailed no matter what time of day. He had always admired that about her. She was so different then his quiet, subdued sister but the two were the perfect pair regardless. He had only been too happy to walk Juleka down the aisle when she had informed him that she was marrying the spritely blonde. Their father, who had always been somewhat absent, had refused to support the marriage and while Rose’s parents more or less accepted it, they were still rather uncertain about the whole thing. Luka strongly felt the girl’s were the perfect pair; a match made in heaven, if you will. In the three years since they had married, Rose had become as much of a little sister to him as Juleka was, so he knew when he showed up at her flower shop just past six the next morning, she would be more than willing to help him out.

“Luka? What are you doing here?” Rose asked, smiling warmly and beckoning him into the humid heat of the flower shop. He smiled, ruffling her short blonde hair affectionately before he responded.

“What? Your brother-in-law can’t just pop in and say hello whenever he feels like it?” He teased playfully, following her as she led him towards the small office behind the shop’s front counter. Rose sent him an amused look.

“You’re always welcome here… but this isn’t a friendly visit. I can tell,” she said, wagging a finger at him before dropping down onto the small couch she had set in one corner of the office. Luka followed suit, joining her on the couch as Baxter, their black and white cat, jumped up onto the couch between them. Rose tickled the cat affectionately beneath his chin before raising one perfect golden brow at the dark haired boy. Luka sighed in defeat.

“I… I met a girl,” he finally admitted, studying his shoes in embarrassment at the admission. Rose squealed and leaped up, clapping loudly. Baxter, used to his owner’s antics, merely climbed into Luka’s lap and shoved his head forcefully under the man’s hand until they began moving in a back and forth motion between his black ears.

“Oh, Luka, _finally_ ! Juleka will be so pleased! What’s her name? Where did you meet her? What’s she look like? Does she play an instrument too? Oh! Does she _sing_!? Oh, that would be so perfect, Luka. You two could be a musical duo!” The pixie-like girl squealed, a dreamy sigh escaping her lips.

“Rose… _Rose_ … Rose, I’m pretty sure she hates my guts!” Luka had to raise his voice to be heard over the girl’s excitement, but eventually his words seemed to break through her delirious haze. She deflated, baby blue eyes wide with shock and worry.

“Why do you think that, Luka?” She asked, disappointment evident in her tone and the slump of her slender shoulders. Luka sighed and raked a hand through his black and turquoise locks, further dishevelling them.

“She’s my next door neighbor. I didn’t realize anyone lived in the apartment and apparently I’ve been keeping her up every night for the last month with my guitar,” he admitted, frowning slightly before glancing up at the girl.

“Well… we’ll just have to show her how amazing you are, Luka. She can’t resist your charms for long,” she finally said, optimism returning full force.

“I don’t know if it’s that easy, Rose… she has every right to hate me,” he said, his frown deepening. Rose was undeterred, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder until he glanced up at her, smiling hesitantly.

“Any girl would be lucky to be the object of your affections, Luka. You just have to win her over. Show her you aren’t the jerk she thinks you are,” she said confidently.

“And how do you propose I do that?” He asked dryly, the barest hint of a smile curving his lips as he stared into his sister-in-law’s blue eyes.

“Well, we’ll start with a proper apology. A rose. Girl’s love roses,” Rose said with a playful wink as she turned and headed back towards the front of the shop. Luka rolled his eyes at her joke, but got up and followed her nonetheless, Baxter trailing behind them.

“Just one rose? Why not a dozen?” He asked, genuinely curious. Rose glanced at him from where she was fiddling with a display of individual, long stemmed red roses.

“Oh, Luka… you’re trying to woo the girl. You don’t want to come on too strong, especially if she isn’t sure about your intentions yet,” Rose scolded, finally selecting a perfect rose, the petals just beginning to unfurl themselves. Carrying the flower to the counter, she shortened the stem and began carefully removing the thorns. Luka watched her work, until she gestured absentmindedly towards a display of ribbons. “Pick a color.”

Luka hesitated, eyeing the display hesitantly before finally moving closer to peruse the selection of different ribbons. Eventually, he selected a blue that seemed to match the color of her eyes fairly closely. He was afraid the color would contrast too sharply with the deep red petals but when Rose glanced at the choice, she nodded approvingly and carefully cut a small strip from the roll. Luka returned the ribbon to it’s spot, then sat back contentedly to watch her work. Before long, she was presenting him the rose with a small note tied to it via the ribbon he had chosen. The note was simple, consisting of two words written in Rose’s graceful script; _I’m Sorry._ He glanced at her in question.

“Shouldn’t I sign it?” He asked, uncertain. Rose shrugged slightly.

“You can if you want but how many men do you think are pissing off this poor girl?” She asked playfully. Luka hesitated another moment before nodding slightly, a rueful grin on his face.

“You’re right. Alright, thanks sis. I should head back and get this on her doorstep before she wakes up,” he said, turning to go. He was almost to the door when Rose called out to him.

“Oh, Luka?” She said, and he glanced back to see her smiling warmly at her while Baxter wound around her ankles, purring.

“Yeah, Rose?”

“Don’t be a stranger. You know you’re always welcome, even if you just need someone to vent to,” she said gently. Luka grinned, touched by her words, and nodded.

“I promise I’ll visit soon. The same goes to you and Jules, though. My door is always open, sis,” he assured, giving her a playful wink before turning and slipping through the door once more. With a bounce to his step, Luka Couffaine headed back to his apartment with hope in his heart and a grin on his face. He would win his adorable neighbor over yet… even if it killed him.


	2. Her Knight in Shining Black Leather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's day takes an... unexpected... turn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry to those of you who have been waiting for this chapter BUT it is finally here and I am pleased to announce the next chapter will out relatively soon. I already have it planned out. Unfortunately my main story, "Love You Endlessly" takes up 90% of my writing time and is my main focus. At 95,000 words, it's showing no signs of slowing down. If you like Adrienette and non-powered, aged up AUs, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a definite crowd pleaser with most of my readers. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Marinette had known Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe since middle school. Nino had joined her class back in the seventh grade, although they didn’t actually become friends until Alya and Adrien came into the picture. They had joined the class the same year, in the eighth grade; Alya arriving and befriending Marinette on that very first day, after defending her against the evil that was her childhood bully, Chloe Bourgeois. Throughout middle school and high school, the girl’s were very nearly inseparable. They were vastly different, personality wise, and their general interests differed quite a bit, but their friendship had remained unwavering throughout the many trials that came with growing up. After High School, busy schedules made it difficult to maintain their friendship. It hadn’t been too bad, living together, but even then there were days Marinette wouldn’t see her friend at all. That’s why their weekly morning coffee dates were sacred.

It started about four years ago, back when Marinette first started interning at  _ Gabriel _ . Juggling school, work, and an internship had been difficult, to say the least. In the beginning, there were many times that Marinette had returned home sobbing because it was so hard. She never slept; rarely ate. Her sanity was cracking and eventually, something had to give. Having been her main source of comfort and reassurance back in those days, Alya eventually decided that Marinette needed a break. So, each week she set aside an hour in her busy schedule and dragged Marinette to their favorite coffee shop for some much needed R&R. The ravenette had resisted at first, insisting she was too busy to slow down, but eventually, she gave in and that hour fast became the highlight of her week. At first, it was just the two of them. Sometimes, their boyfriends Nino and Adrien joined. As the months passed, the boys’ presence became an almost weekly occurrence until it practically turned into a weekly double date. Not, of course, that either girl had complained back then.

Things had shifted when she had broken up with Adrien. For starters, he stopped joining them for their morning coffee date. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that Alya had been dead set on finding out what had caused their breakup back then. She had since then, mostly, given up on getting a straight answer from either Adrien or Marinette. It was for the best, though. More than that, though, even Nino had made himself scarce. He still joined once, maybe twice a month, but even then he usually acted as a quiet observer rather than an active participant in the conversation. Often, she wondered if perhaps Adrien had told him why they had broken up and more so if a part of Nino was taking Adrien’s side over hers. They were, after all, best friends. Adrien and Nino were as close as Marinette and Alya. 

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Marinette shifted Popcorn’s baby pink leash to her left hand, using the right hand to tug open the door of the cafe.  _ Café Coccinelle _ was a small shop, dominated by wall to ceiling windows on two sides while the other two walls were made of pretty white brick. The whole aesthetic was open and airy. The tables were black ironwork, topped with glass with matching black chairs. In one corner, a plush leather couch and matching armchairs sat near a roaring fireplace. The front counter was black with a white granite countertop and to the left was a glass display case featuring pastries, breakfast sandwiches and a selection of bottled and canned drink selections. The wall behind the counter was dominated by a blackboard, scrawled with various drink options.

Pausing in the doorway, Marinette scanned the cafe for a familiar head of curly auburn hair. So close to the University Campus,  _ Café Coccinelle _ was almost always bustling with a crowd of students and professors, as well as your regular crowd of businessmen and women grabbing a quick bite to eat or some much needed coffee before heading to work. As she approached the counter, Popcorn trotting happily at her side, she nodded a greeting to several people she recognized from her design classes. They returned the brief, nonverbal greeting in kind. It took about ten minutes for Marinette to actually reach the front counter so that she could order.  _ Café Coccinelle  _ wasn’t popular just because of its proximity to her school. It also boasted a friendly, upbeat staff and expertly made coffee that could satisfy even the gruffest of coffee connoisseurs.

A spritely redhead stood at the cash register, a bored look on her face, but she immediately perked up at Marinette’s arrival. She was a small woman, several years older than Marinette, with fair skin and large blue eyes that dominated her freckled face. Her hair was cut in a pixie bob and was mostly an intense crimson red, save for her bangs which were a jet black. She grinned as Marinette came to a stop before her, and the ravenette couldn’t help but return the grin. “Morning, Tikki,” she greeted.

“Marinette! How are you?” The other woman greeted in her warm soprano voice. For as long as she could remember, Tikki had been a fixture at  _ Café Coccinelle _ . Even when Marinette was in Middle School, and Tikki was in high school, she had worked at the cafe. It was only recently that she had discovered the cafe had been owned by the redhead’s family, and that she had just recently taken over the business fully, with the retirement of her great Uncles, whom she referred to as Master Fu and Wayzz. Odd names but then, so was Tikki.

“I’m good; busy, as usual. How are you?” The ravenette returned warmly, shooting a glance over her shoulder to ensure she wasn’t holding up the line. No one had followed her in, so she turned back to her friend with a smile.

“Great! Running the shop has been hard, but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” She chirped, blue eyes twinkling.

“That’s awesome. And how’s your boyfriend?” Marinette pressed, a twinkle entering her own bluebell gaze as the redhead blushed prettily.

“Um… actually, he’s my Fiancee now,” she admitted, holding out her hand to show off the ring gracing her finger. The ring was nothing super fancy; a simple silver band with an emerald in the center. Six smaller black gems, three on either side of the emerald, were embedded into the silver band. Even in its simplicity, it was beautiful.

“Plagg proposed?” Marinette asked, mildly impressed. Tikki had, on many occasions, bemoaned the fact that she didn’t think her longtime boyfriend would ever get around to proposing. They were childhood sweethearts; Tikki’s Great Uncle Fu had adopted Plagg when he was orphaned and he and Tikki had grown up together. Plagg was always a bit of a troublemaker, while Tikki was the resident good girl, clearly capable of taming even the wildest of spirits.

“Not without some very  _ obvious _ hints. I really thought I would just have to come out and  _ tell _ him to propose already,” she admitted, a sheepish grin on her face. “He even had it inscribed,” the redhead added, tugging the ring off and handing it over. Marinette took it carefully, well aware of her habitual clumsiness, and inspected the inside of the band. There, engraved into the silver, were the words  _ Forever My Tikkibug _ . The words were framed by a little ladybug on one side and a pawprint on the other and if it wasn’t the cutest thing she had ever seen, Marinette wasn’t sure what was. Grinning, she handed the ring back.

“Plagg is a closet romantic. Who would have thought? Well, I’m happy for you, Tiks. You and Plagg are the cutest couple I know,” Marinette assured, grinning warmly. Before either could say anything else, a voice cleared behind her drawing two sets of blue eyes to the auburn-haired woman standing behind them.

“ _ Who’s _ the cutest couple you know?” Alya challenged with a crooked grin, nodding a brief greeting towards Tikki while opening her arms in greeting to her best friend. Laughing, Marinette stepped into the embrace with a warm smile of her own.

“Alright, so you guys are tied with Alya and Nino for cutest couple,” she amended.

“Better. Now, order your drink. Nino already got us a table,” Alya said, gesturing to the far back corner where Nino Lahiffe sat, orange headphones over his ears. Marinette did as she was told, ordering a venti vanilla iced coffee, heavy on the cream and sugar. Tikki whipped the drink up quickly, used to making it just how the younger girl liked it and waved her off when she tried to pay. The younger girl smiled her thanks and bid the redhead goodbye before following Alya to the table and embracing Nino briefly before taking her chair. Popcorn immediately pawed at her leg until she picked the dog up and settled her on her lap.

“Sorry I’m a bit late; I lost track of time,” she said, taking a much needed sip of her coffee and almost sighing in delight at the sweet taste.

“Aren’t you always,” Nino teased, taking a sip of his own drink as he eyed her over the rim. She wrinkled her nose playfully, turning as Alya interjected.

“Is that jerk still keeping you up at night? My offer still stands by the way. You laugh now, but I know how to hide a body,” the redhead offered with a smirk.

“Omigawd, I met him last night,” the ravenette suddenly sat up straight as she recalled the night before in perfect clarity. Alya mirrored her movement, sitting up as interest gleamed in her hazel eyes and she got that look on her face when she was about to get an important scoop.

“So it is a guy? You owe me twenty euros, Nino. So, what’s he like? Hot? Ugly? Was he totally rude when you confronted him? Did you tell him to bugger off? Please tell me you told him to bugger off! Unless he’s hot. If he’s hot, you better as hell have gotten his number, girl,” Alya quizzed, firing question after question without giving Marinette a chance to say anything. Beside her, Nino shifted looking a bit uncomfortable and dropping his gaze but didn’t comment.

“Alya, slow down,” Marinette laughed, shooting a worried glance at Nino before turning back to the energetic redhead. “Yes, it was a guy. Luka, that’s his name. He wasn’t  _ bad _ looking. Kind of a flirt and he totally tried asking me out,” she offered. Alya frowned, looking unamused and gave an annoyed huff.

“He  _ wasn’t bad looking _ !? Marinette Dupain-Cheng I know I raised you better than that,” she scolded huffily. Marinette snorted into her coffee and shook her head.

“Last time I checked, my parents raised me. And I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Alys,” she responded with an innocent smile.

“Girl is he  _ hot _ or  _ not _ . I. Need.  _ Details _ , woman!”

“Okay, okay, calm down. Yes, from certain angles Luka might… technically… be considered somewhat  _ hot _ ,” Marinette mumbled reluctantly. Across from her, a triumphant look flickered across her friend’s face and the word  _ regret _ had never rung truer.

“You  _ like _ him!”

“I do not!”

“You  _ do. _ You so do! Its written all over your pretty little face, Marinette. You are totally crushing on Luka!” Her friend proclaimed eagerly, while across from her Marinette tried to sing further into her seat, cheeks burning.

“Whatever, Alys. He’s cocky and arrogant and he’s a total flirt. He’s probably a player. Who asks random girls they  _ just _ met out?” She protested weakly.

“Um, guys who know how to go after what they want? Come on Marinette, you and Adrien have been broken up for two years. Don’t you think it’s time to put yourself out there again?” The redhead noted, frowning over the rim of her cup.

“It’s not that easy, Alys. Adrien and I dated for  _ seven _ years. I thought he was my one and only,” she whispered, visibly deflating. Absentmindedly, her hand moved to rub at the ring finger where at one point, an engagement ring had sat. Even after two years, the spot felt unnaturally barren but she couldn’t bear to put on another ring to replace the one she had thrown black in her ex’s face.

“I know it still hurts, babe. But you deserve to be happy,” Alya whispered, gently reaching out to lay her hand comfortingly on the smaller girl’s. Marinette smiled shakily, fighting back the hurt and betrayal that always reared its head when Adrien was brought up. The moment was disrupted when Nino suddenly stood abruptly, drawing both sets of eyes his way. He shifted awkwardly.

“I forgot a work think I have to take care of. I’ll see you guys later?” He bent to peck Alya on the lips and before either could respond, he was gone. The two stared after him before Marinette sighed, shoulders sagging.

“Does Nino hate me because I broke up with Adrien?” She asked, flicking a glance at her friend. It’s no surprise that Adrien had been miserable since they had broken up, but it had been his fault. She wouldn’t take the blame for something he had done. Alya shot her a surprised look and shook her head rapidly.

“Nino adores you, Mare. He could never hate you. I think his loyalty is torn between wanting you to be happy and wanting you to be happy  _ with _ Adrien. He knows the latter isn’t likely, and it’s hard for him to accept that but he absolutely does  _ not  _ hate you,” she assured confidently. A small smile curved the ravenette’s lips and she nodded, relief evident on her face at that news.

“Thanks, Alys, I needed that,” she murmured.

“Anytime, babe. Now, back to talking about Luka…”

  
  


The rest of their coffee date slid by without a hitch and when the time came to part ways, Marinette found her mood had definitely lifted after Nino’s hurried departure. She definitely understood where her friend was coming from. If Nino and Alya broke up, she would have a hard time as well. They had dated even longer than Marinette and Adrien had, getting together in Middle School. Still, she missed her friend and hoped he would come to terms with the break-up soon so that they could start hanging out again. Classes were a welcome distraction from her life problems. Because she was entering into her final two years of college, Marinette had a full class load. She attended classes five days a week. Three of those days she had four back to back classes. The other two days, she thankfully only took three classes. It was one of her long days, unfortunately, but it was also one of the few days she didn’t have work or interning to do, so it was a welcome reprieve.

Marinette worked part-time at the University Bookstore. The pay wasn’t the best, but she got decent discounts on books and school supplies so she wasn’t complaining. Gabriel Agreste had also started paying her after her first year of interning, which was more than enough to take care of her rent and basic necessities while still having money leftover for more frivolous things. It left her with little free time, but when she graduated in two years it would all be worth it. She could quit the bookstore and Gabriel Agreste would finally hire her on as his apprentice as he had been promising to do. Despite the nasty breakup between her and his son, she still had a great relationship with Gabriel Agreste. Often, he treated her like a daughter when it was just the two of them, though in public he was never anything less than professional. He understood why they’d broken up, and he supported her decision much to Adrien’s chagrin.

Classes passed by slowly. Marinette honestly felt like she was going insane by the time the last period of the day. The only thing that kept her somewhat alert was Popcorn, who mostly laid quietly at her feet while she worked but who occasionally did funny things in her sleep. Sometimes she would growl quietly, or twitch, or her legs would move as if she were chasing something in her dreams. It was amusing to watch. Finally free for the day, she headed across the quad to the campus cafe for another iced coffee and then headed for the University bookstore. She needed to pick up a few things, including a new textbook on Textiles that she would be working on starting next week for two of her classes. This time of day, the bookstore was rather quiet and Marinette felt the stress of the day melting away as she took in the peaceful atmosphere and the welcoming smell of books. She would miss the bookstore when she didn’t work here anymore.

Since she worked there, Marinette found what she needed relatively quickly but because she had no other plans for the day, she decided to browse the shelves more. She didn’t have a whole lot of free time these days, but Marinette had found a joy in reading since she started working here and tried to find new material to read whenever possible. The University Bookstore was massive. The bottom floor catered to students and consisted of textbooks and various much needed school supplies while the second and third floor offered a regular bookstore and a little coffee shop. Marinette took the elevator, partially because her hands were full of textbooks and because she didn’t like taking Popcorn onto the escalator unless she could hold her. With her arms full, that simply wasn’t possible right now and she was too paranoid about the dog’s paws or nails getting caught in the machine to risk it.

She took the elevator to the second floor, where most of the fiction books were. Marinette was partial to Young Adult fiction and Adult Romance novels, so she hit up both sections and filled a basket with a few new novels that would keep her evenings occupied for a few weeks at least. Satisfied with her load of books and silently bemoaning the fact that she would have to take a taxi home due to the weight of her books, she turned towards the second level checkout counter to buy her books. She was passing by the children’s area when a mop of blonde hair drew her eye. She didn’t think much about it at first. After a seven-year relationship, her eyes were naturally drawn to people with hairstyles matching that of her ex. She had spent so many years searching for him in crowds whenever they met up in public places, it was second nature at this point. 

So as soon as her eyes lit upon the man whose back was to her, she started to turn away, ultimately dismissing him. At the same moment, however, Popcorn suddenly froze with an unfriendly growl that drew the man’s eyes… and suddenly she was stuck, trapped in a meadow green gaze that she would know anywhere. Marinette froze, blue eyes widening at the unexpected encounter. Adrien, for his part, seemed equally taken aback by her sudden appearance.  _ Speak _ , she silently commanded herself.  _ Stop gaping like a fish and  _ speak _ , you idiot! _ Marinette opened her mouth, fully intending to do as the voice in her head (which sounded suspiciously like Alya) was telling her to do when her gaze strayed past him and landed on the child and the words immediately died in her throat.

  
  
  


Luka frowned in annoyance, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his low slung black jeans. When he had told Rose that she and his sister were welcome at any time, he hadn’t expected them to call upon him that same afternoon. After leaving the flower shop, Luka had returned to the apartment immediately and placed the rose on her neighbor’s adorable doormat. The barking of a dog within the apartment had forced him into his own, not wanting to be caught on her doorstep if the animal woke its owner, and he had pretty much fallen to sleep the second his head had hit the pillow. Imagine his surprise when four pm rolled around, and he found Rose and Juleka on his doorstep instead of his charming next door neighbor. The rose was absent from her mat, so either she threw it away or had taken it inside. He hoped it was the latter. In typical Rose fashion, the spritely blonde had announced that they were going shopping and that Luka was accompanying them to hold their bags.

Which is how he found himself in the local University Bookstore, teetering under a pile of books. Mind you, neither Rose or Juleka actually  _ attended _ this school, but Rose insisted that a part of the funds went to underprivileged students so who was he to judge. The topics of the books ranged from Gardening and various books on Fauna (Rose), books on cats (also Rose), to Romance Novels (surprisingly, Juleka). He was more than a little relieved when he was permitted to drop his load on the counter for the girls to buy them, and that he had the forethought to insist they brought their car. They had already stopped by several other stores and no way would they have been able to carry it all. Nor would it have all fit on his motorcycle. Adjusting his black leather jacket, Luka leaned back against the counter between his sister and her wife, tuning out the store clerk as they chattered on about menial things such as the weather and a few of the romance novels Juleka had gotten.

His gaze began to wander as his boredom grew. There were a lot of books and maybe it was just him, but he felt the clerk was being especially slow, more focused on the conversation than the job at hand. He almost felt bad for the guy. It hadn’t escaped his notice that the man behind the counter had barely taken his eyes off Rose since the transaction had started, and he was mostly talking to her. Juleka didn’t seem to mind in the least. She was secure in her relationship, a small smile tugging at her lips as the guy tried flirting with the petite blonde and was subsequently (and gently) brushed off. Unfortunately for him, Rose Couffaine didn’t swing that way. His eyes danced over their surrounded, studying the people around them as the transaction dragged on. 

An elderly couple was meandering their way to the line hand in hand, the man holding a few books as he talked lovingly to his wife. A young mom was trying to wrangle three excitable young children who looked to be all under the age of five, while a man he presumed to be the father given their striking resemblance stood off to the side and pretended not to notice. Luka grimaced and moved on. A couple of young teens milled the young adult section and a gaggle of University students stepped off the escalator, chattering amicably as they headed towards the cafe that sat on the opposite side of the second level. The excited squeal of children drew his gaze to the brightly painted children’s section and that’s when he saw her. Her blue-black hair was longer than he had originally thought, hanging down her back in gentle waves. She wore jeans and what appeared to be a faded Jagged Stone tee-shirt, and she was talking heatedly with a blonde man who looked incredibly aggravated. At the woman’s feet, a small dog (presumably the one that had been barking this morning) was watching the two with rapt attention. At the man’s feet, a cherub-faced child who couldn’t have been more than a year or so watched with equally rapt attention. He didn’t notice Juleka’s presence until she spoke.

“I wonder what Marinette and Adrien are talking about,” she mused quietly, more to herself than to Luka but he was accustomed to his sister’s muted tone of voice so he easily picked up her words. He swung his gaze towards her, surprised.

“You know Marinette?” He asked, surprised. Juleka looked up at him, her gaze mirroring his surprise.

“Yeah. Rose and I went to school with her way back when” she explained. “How do  _ you _ know her?” 

“She’s my next door neighbor,” he explained, frowning. “Who’s the blonde?”

“Adrien Agreste,” she said simply. Luka sighed. He loved his sister but she was a woman of few words and often required a lot of prodding before she gave up any valuable information.

“Dating?”

“Not anymore…”

“What’s their history like?”

“Why do you wanna know?” A smirk crossed Juleka’s lips as she blinked innocently up at her brother. He growled quietly at her, impatient.

“I might be interested in her and need to know if she’s still interested in him,” he said, knowing that omitting any part of the truth would make his sister stop answering his questions. She was like a human lie detector. She studied him for a moment before nodding, satisfied.

“I don’t know the whole story. Marinette has been really tight lipped about the break-up. Not even her best friend knows the whole story and they tell each other everything,” she warned quietly.

“Tell me what you do know, then,” Luka pressed.

“Okay. Marinette has been in love with Adrien since the eighth grade. He noticed her in grade nine. They dated all through high school. They got engaged, Marinette got pregnant but there were complications. They- didn’t make it…” Juleka’s voice trailed off, pity in her gaze as she blinked at the woman across the room.

“They?” Luka prompted gently.

“They were going to have twins. Emma and Louis. She was probably seven months along and went in for a routine checkup… the doctor couldn’t find a heartbeat. They were devastated,” she whispered, eyes shining with unshed tears. Luka laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Did he blame her for the miscarriage? Is that why they broke up?” He asked.

“No. No, something else happened. They broke up not long after, maybe a couple months, but Marinette won’t say what Adrien did. She broke up with him and hasn’t looked back,” she explained, glancing at him. “Marinette is a great person, Luka. But you should be careful. She’s not quite the same since losing Emma and Louis, and whatever Adrien did, it gave her major trust issues,” she said.

“And the kid?” He nodded to the little child now clinging to Adrien’s leg and Juleka frowned as she looked at him.

“Chloe Bourgeois’ kid. You know, the Mayor’s daughter? She and Adrien are childhood best friends,” she explained. Luka nodded slowly, eyes flickering up to the couple once more as Juleka returned to her Wife’s side. As he watched, Adrien suddenly reached out and grabbed Marinette’s forearm. The ravenette flinched and Luka was crossing the room before he had a conscious thought to do so.

  
  
  


Her throat went dry, heartbeat faltering, as the child turned to look up at her. He couldn’t have been much older than a year, maybe a year and a half old. He stood on unsteady legs, his messy mop of golden blonde hair falling into a pair of strikingly familiar meadow green eyes. When he noticed her attention, he grinned widely showing off a row of tiny baby teeth. He was a breathtakingly beautiful child and her heart hurt just looking at him. When she finally tore her eyes from the child, there was a haunted look in her eyes.

“Marinette,” Adrien said quietly, reaching out to her. She recoiled immediately while Popcorn growled quietly.

“He’s beautiful,” she said quietly, averting her eyes. She didn’t want to look at Adrien or his child. It brought back too many memories and made breathing difficult.

“Oh, thanks…” Adrien said, dropping a hand down into the mop of blonde locks atop the child’s head.

“Where’s Chloe?” She asked, rocking back and forth on her heels and silently wondering how soon was socially acceptable to say her goodbyes and flee.

“She’s working in the Hotel today and asked if I could watch Claude,” he explained. Against her better judgment, her eyes flickered to the child in question. Claude Jackson Bourgeois. Adrien Agreste’s dirty little secret that only a handful of people knew about.

“Right… did you leave the rose outside my door this morning?” She suddenly asked, frowning slightly as she recalled the beautiful rose.

“Rose? What rose?” Adrien asked, green eyes narrowing. That was a no, then. Who had left the rose then? She recognized the tag as one from  _ Prince Ali Flower Emporium _ , the shop owned by Rose Couffaine, a friend of hers from her youth. Maybe she could stop in and ask the owner who had bought the rose.

“Never mind. I should go,” she said, shaking her head.

“Marinette, is someone sending you flowers?” Adrien moved closer, Claude toddling after him, as he frowned down at her. “Are you dating someone?”

“Who I date or don’t date isn’t really your business, Adrien,” she said, a warning note entering her voice. Adrien ignored it.

“We dated for seven years, Marinette. You  _ are _ my business,” he argued, impatient. She shook her head in denial, bluebell eyes flashing defiance.

“I stopped being your business or your concern when you chose to cheat on me  _ days _ after we lost Emma and Louis!” She hissed, trying to keep her voice down. She was well aware that they were in a public bookstore, and that there was a curious toddler watching them raptly from the sidelines.

“I apologized. I regret it. It was a  _ mistake _ , Marinette,” the blonde shook his head in disgust. “When the hell are you going to forgive me?”

“How about  _ never _ , Adrien! Our children weren’t even  _ buried _ when you chose to go off and make  _ him _ ,” she snarled, stabbing a finger in the direction of the child. Marinette didn’t blame Claude for this. He was an innocent child who had no way of controlling the circumstances of his birth. She did blame his parents, however, and there was a part of her that resented him no matter how hard she tried because he had  _ lived _ . He got to live a full life when her children hadn’t gotten that chance and it wasn’t  _ fair.  _ It wasn’t  _ fair _ that the day before she was set to bury her babies, she had to come home and learn that her fiancee had been unfaithful with her childhood nemesis. It wasn’t  _ fair _ that two months later he told her that Chloe was pregnant and that she was keeping the baby.  _ That _ she couldn’t forgive. 

“Marinette, I love you. I want us to be a family again,” Adrien pleaded, green eyes wide and imploring. She shook her head.

“No. I’m not making the same mistake twice, Adrien. We are  _ done _ ,” she said firmly. She started to turn away but Adrien reached out and grabbed her forearm, fingers biting into her skin. She flinched, eyes wide with shock and anger.

“We aren’t done until I say we’re done, Marinette,” Adrien snapped. She opened her mouth to snap back at him, but before she could a heavy arm landed on her shoulders. Adrien startled, loosening his grip, and the arm around her shoulders tightened and pulled her back until his hand fell away completely. Two sets of eyes, one spring green and one cerulean blue, turned upwards, finding the smirking face of Luka Couffaine staring down at them. The first thought that ran through Marinette’s mind was  _ wow, he looks even better in broad daylight. _ The second thought was  _ what the hell is my neighbor doing here!? _ Granted, it was a public place but Luka didn’t seem like the university going type and really, what were the odds of her encountering him  _ here _ ,  _ now _ , while she was talking to  _ Adrien _ after meeting him last night.

“Hey, Angel, fancy meeting you here,” Luka purred, ignoring Adrien as his ocean blue eyes found hers. The young woman blinked, momentarily dazzled. This close, she could see that Luka had flecks of darker and lighter blue in his eyes and that they sparkled in the light like blue diamonds.

“L-L-Luka! Wh-wh-what are y-you…?” She trailed off, a lost look on her face. He smiled, amused at her adorableness, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Just browsing about and happened to spot a damsel in need of rescuing,” he shifted his gaze to Adrien then, eyes turning into chips of ice as he glared at the green-eyed Adonis. “Is this guy bothering you, Angel?”

“Her name is  _ Marinette _ and the only one here bothering her is  _ you _ ,” Adrien snarled, eyes flashing. Luka looked unaffected by the show of dominance the blonde was trying to show, instead glancing down at the stunned girl in his arms.

“Is that true, Angel? Am I bothering you?” He asked, leaning closer until their noses were mere inches apart. Marinette’s eyes stretched impossibly wider at his sudden proximity, red staining her cheeks as she scrambled for a response, any response that sounded somewhat intelligible.

“C-course of Luka not… I mean! Of course not, Luka,” she squeaked, blushing even more at the quiet chuckle that spilled forth from his mouth. She swallowed hard and ducked her head, embarrassed.

“Marinette? Who the hell is this guy?” Adrien suddenly interjected, scowling at the pair. Luka lifted his gaze from the blushing girl currently tucked into his side with an air of annoyance and glared at the blonde.

“Her boyfriend. Who are  _ you _ !?” He snapped. There was a beat of silence. Luka was currently asking himself why the hell he had just blurted out that complete and total lie. Adrien was in shock, fuming at the possibility that Mari,  _ his _ Mari, might be dating this biker wannabe. Marinette… well. Marinette.exe had stopped working. Functioning. She was dead. Totally and completely dead because this couldn’t be her life. It just couldn’t be.

“Is that true, Marinette? Are you dating this… this… this  _ poser _ ?” Adrien demanded. Perhaps also curious of the answer but more than likely just curious as to why everyone was being so loud, Claude followed his father’s gaze to the dark-haired woman with a slightly worried smile, not sure how he liked the tension surrounding them.

“Says the bleached blonde  _ model _ ,” Luka sneered back.

“My hair is one hundred percent natural,” Adrien growled.

“Sure it is, blondie,” Luka sneered.

“Marinette, are you dating him or not!?” Adrien’s words finally jarred her back to life and she blinked owlishly between the two men. Did she lie and say she was dating Luka? Or did she tell Adrien the truth? If she told the truth, Adrien would never leave her alone. If she said she was dating Luka, maybe he would give up?

“Uh- um… y-yeah, I mean. It’s kind of new but y-yea, Luka and I are dating!” She squawked after much debate. The blonde scowled, green eyes bouncing between the pair before he shook his head.

“No. No, you’re lying. I don’t believe you,” he said. And Luka smirked. Really, she should have known something was coming with a smirk like that. But Marinette wasn’t thinking straight, still discombobulated over Luka saying they were dating, so she wasn’t expecting it when he swooped in and pressed his lips to hers. Across from them, Adrien made an inhuman sound that was a cross between a gasp and a growl. Marinette wasn’t paying attention to him though. Marinette.exe hadn’t just stopped working. It was now officially offline. Complete system failure. Please proceed to reboot. She was no longer with the living, folks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up on The New Neighbor, Chapter 3: Revelations of a Broken Past
> 
> Take a step into the past and find out what really went down two years ago, and why it led to Marinette and Adrien's less than amicable break-up!


	3. Revelations of a Broken Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we find out the whole story behind Marinette and Adrien's breakup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the saddest part of this chapter listening to 'Hymn For The Missing' and almost cried myself!
> 
> This chapter is an emotional rollercoaster, just a fair warning. It goes from mega fluff to tear-jerking emotion so you have been warned. This is an 8000+ word rollercoaster of a backstory
> 
> Note; This is Un-betaed, written immediately after finishing the previous chapter. I have been awake and writing almost nonstop since 3 am (it is not 9 pm my time) and have barely eaten in that time so if some of this is ineligible or sounds like I'm babbling/rambling that's why

**_Three Years ago_ **

Marinette Dupain-Cheng inspected her reflection in the full-length mirror that she had affixed to the back of the door in her new bedroom. It had been three weeks since she had moved into the apartment with her longtime boyfriend, Adrien Agreste, and she couldn’t have been happier. Between school, work, and interning for his father, Marinette had found it hard in the last few years to find the time to see her boyfriend and it was starting to get frustrating. Even working in the same building, have the time they didn’t see each other and when they did, it was during photo shoots when he was busy modeling and she was busy styling. When Adrien had proposed moving in together last month, she hadn’t even hesitated. Living with his father, Adrien spent most nights in her bed anyway, even though most nights he didn’t finish work until long after she was already sound asleep.

He had a key to the apartment, so most nights he would stumble in and fall into bed, giving her a chaste kiss before they both dropped off to sleep. When she awoke in the morning, he was usually already gone again. Now, they would be living together for real and she hoped it would strengthen their relationship and make it possible to see each other more. She loved Adrien. She had loved Adrien since she was a clumsy, awkward fourteen year old and she loved him now as a still clumsy but significantly less awkward twenty-year-old. Adrien was the man she wanted to marry, have kids with, grow old together. He was her whole world and she felt that this was a stepping stone in the direction she wanted their relationship to take.

Shaking herself from her semi-distracted thoughts, Marinette gave her appearance a critical once over. It was one of the rare evenings that both Adrien and she had the night off and Adrien had asked her to be ready to leave by the time he got home at seven pm. He refused to tell her where he was taking her, only that she should wear a semi-formal outfit. So, she had dug through their joint closet and pulled out a dress she had created recently, but hadn’t had the chance to wear yet. The dress fell just above her knees with a form-fitting top, sweetheart neckline, and a skirt that flared out slightly at the waist. It was deep burgundy in color with a black lace petticoat underneath. She had paired the dress with black, elbow length gloves, black tights, and a pair of shiny black high heels. Her neck, ears, and wrist were adorned with black pearls (a matching set) and the necklace and bracelet each sported a single diamond, while the earrings had a diamond set between two black pearls. They had been an anniversary gift from Adrien two years ago to commemorate their fourth year together.

She had decided to leave her hair loose tonight. Marinette had long-since traded in her signature ponytails and usually tied her hair up into a simple bun. Two, if she was feeling nostalgic. Now, however, her heavy raven locks fell in in carefully crafted corkscrew curls down her back, framing her heart-shaped face. Never one for heavy makeup, she had painted her lips a bright burgundy to match the dress and used a smokey eyeliner that made the blue of her eyes pop. She thought she had cleaned up pretty nicely and the dress had most certainly come out well. She had just about finished her inspection when there was a light tap on the bedroom door before Adrien opened the door. She watched as her boyfriend paused on the threshold, eyes widening as he took in her appearance. Butterflies danced in her stomach as his gaze swept her form from head to toe and an appreciative noise escaped him. She loved that Adrien still had the power to make her breath hitch, her heart to flutter, and her knees to weaken even after six years. Turning towards him and ignoring the light blush burning across her cheeks, Marinette twirled in a circle making the skirt flutter up slightly with the movement.

“What do you think?” She asked, bouncing over to him with an adoring smile.

“You look ravishing, Princess,” he murmured, bending to kiss her. Marinette ducked away, slapping him playfully in the chest.

“ _ Adrieeeen _ , you’ll ruin my makeup,” she protests, red stained lips quirking into a half smile. Adrien pouted sullenly.

“But Princess I haven’t gotten a kiss  _ all day _ . I’m kiss deprived,” he whined, spring green eyes blinking up at her imploringly. She giggled but stood firm.

“No way, my makeup is flawless and not even you are cute enough to make me want to ruin it. After we go out, I’ll  _ think _  about it,” she teased, eyes twinkling. Her boyfriend’s pout deepened, making him look like a kicked puppy, and she rolled her eyes at his antics before taking a moment to study his outfit. He was wearing a crisp black tux, obviously from  _ Gabriel _  that had undoubtedly been tailored just for him. The undershirt was white, and he wore a dark burgundy tie around his neck. Stepping closer, she fixed the knot on the tie, giggling when Adrien ducked down and pressed a kiss just to the left of her mouth, avoiding her lipstick altogether. She pulled back, brow arched, and he flashed her a boyish grin looking very much like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“To tide me over,” he justified innocently. The ravenette rolled her eyes, hard, but the amused and affectionate grin on her face made it obvious that she didn’t mind as much as she pretended to.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” She asked, stepping back out of reach less he decides to try his luck at another kiss. The blonde shook his head, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together. His thumb traced gently against the buttery black leather encasing her hands, green eyes shining as they bore into hers.

“Nope. We do have to go, though. I made a reservation,” he boasted proudly, tugging lightly on her hand to draw her from the bedroom.

“Oooh, fancy Monsieur Agreste,” she purred, allowing him to lead her towards the front door. Popcorn lifted her head from the couch, tongue lolling, before returning to the bone she was chewing on.

“Only the best for you, Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien replied immediately, a lopsided grin curving his lips. The pair left the apartment, locking it behind them and heading for the elevator. They had rented out a nice apartment in the heart of downtown. Gabriel Agreste insisted on a penthouse sweet, despite Marinette’s protestations, but she had already come to love her new home. They rode the elevator downstairs, bantering back and forth, and nodded kindly to the doorman when he held the door open for the couple. The Gorilla, who now drove both Adrien  _ and  _ Marinette around, was waiting at the curb in the limo. Adrien opened the door, holding up a finger to signal she wait, and leaned into the car to fetch something. When he straightened, he presented her a bouquet of a dozen perfect, wine red roses.

“Oh, Adrien, they’re  _ beautiful _ ,” she breathed, burying her nose amidst the silken petals and inhaling deeply.

“Only the best for you, Princess. Your chariot awaits,” he gestured grandly for her to slid into the car and she dipped into a playful curtsey before getting into the car. He was still laughing after he had shut her door and moved around the vehicle to slide on the other side. Their hands found each other immediately after their seatbelts were in place and they started towards their destination. Before long, they arrived at the Eiffel Tower and Adrien immediately swept Marinette to the second floor and into  _ Le Jules Verne _ , where they were promptly seated beside the big picture windows. Marinette blinked, completely dazzled by the view stretching out below her. Since dating Adrien and working for his father, she had been to many fancy restaurants and never ceased to be dazzled each and every time, but this. This was something else entirely. Marinette was absolutely  _ enthralled _ .

The couple received a bottle of champagne, chatting about anything and everything as they awaited the first of a six course meal. That’s what Marinette loved about being with Adrien. He was so easy to talk to. Most people only saw the model side of him. Perfect Adrien Agreste, son of fashion mogul Gabriel Agreste, and heir to the Agreste fortune. She saw the real Adrien Agreste. The sweet, nerdy man who loved Video Games, Physics, Anime, and Shoujo Manga. The man who had a strange obsession with puns, and an even stranger infatuation with  _ cat _  puns. The man who insisted on spoiling her rotten no matter how many times she begged him not to, who treated her like a Princess, and who sometimes just needed to be shown that he was loved. Adrien craved physical affection, and at home, it was rare for him not to find some reason to touch her. When they were playing video games, she was usually in his lap, his arms around her and his chin resting on her head. When they cooked together, he would brush against her at every given opportunity. If they were watching television or reading or if she was working on some project or another and he got up, he would always lean down and press a kiss to the top of her head and tell her he loved her. The real Adrien was an affectionate dork and she wouldn’t have him any other way.

Dinner was an exquisite affair. Growing up daughter to the owners of one of the best Patisseries in all of France, Marinette had always admired well-prepared food. The food wasn’t too rich or salty. Everything was perfect, the night was perfect, and even though she knew Adrien was probably spending an inordinate amount of money that would likely make her acutely uncomfortable if she saw the bill, she chose not to fret about that for just one night and allow her grossly rich boyfriend to spoil her.  _ Just _  for tonight. Tomorrow she could go back to complaining all she wanted. As the meal was winding down, the waiter brought out a small bowl of cream puffs (a personal favorite of Marinette’s) and she smiled as she popped one into her mouth. Her smile morphed into a confused frown as she bit down on something hard within the soft, flaky pastry. Brow furrowing, she shot a glance at her boyfriend who was watching her intently.

“Everything okay, Marinette?” He asked innocently. Careful not to swallow the object, especially considering she was starting to understand  _ why _  Adrien was going all out for what should have been a simple date night, she fished it out of her mouth and shakily swallowed the rest of the pastry. Adrien kept his gaze locked on her as he reached to take the object and carefully peeled the thin layer of plastic her had used to cover it (to protect it from the cream, perhaps?) and slid from his chair onto one knee. Her eyes dropped then to the object and her hand flew to her mouth as her breath caught in her throat. The ring wasn’t gaudy or tacky or over the top. It was breathtakingly beautiful, a rose gold band, woven on the top and inlaid with rubies and diamonds. At the center, a Princess cut diamond winked beautifully in the light. Somewhere, a band started up, filling the restaurant with soft, sultry music as Adrien’s gaze bore into hers.

“A-Adrien?” She whispered, unable to adjust the volume of her voice to go any higher. The man in question took one of her hands in his free hand and smiled gently up at her.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are the most important person in my life. You are the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. And when I am asleep, you are all I dream about. When you entered my life, you brought light and laughter that I thought was gone forever and I know that I can never repay you for the joy and happiness you’ve brought me. But I promise to spend every hour of every day for the rest of my life trying to do just that. I love you,  _ ma princesse _ , more than words can describe. Would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?” He asked, his voice quiet but filled with conviction. Marinette could feel her eyes tear up, could feel the tears spill over, and silently thanked her forethought to wear waterproof makeup as she gave a watery nod.

Adrien slid the ring onto her finger and then, dropping all pretense of formality, he whooped loudly and swept her up out of her chair. She giggled and clung to him as he spun her around in a circle, applause filling the intimate restaurant as other couples watched them with amusement. When Adrien finally returned her to her feet, he pulled her in and crashed his lips to hers in a dizzying kiss that had her head spinning and no doubt was ruining her carefully applied lipstick. But in that moment, as she snaked her arms around his neck and pressed as close to her fiancee as physically possible, as Adrien’s arms snaked around her waist in a spine-crushing embrace that lifted her feet off the ground… she couldn’t bring herself to give a single damn.

  
  


**Four Months Later**

Marinette awoke with a start. Around her, the apartment was quiet save for the quiet breaths of her fiancee, and the near-silent snores coming from the foot of the bed where Popcorn and  Cheeseball (Adrien’s cat) were curled up together, sound asleep. She blinked, struggling to adjust her eyes to the darkness, and rolled her head to the right to see her bedside clock. In bold, red letters, the clock read:  **3:21 AM** . She scowled at the time and closed her eyes, fully intending to go back to sleep until her alarm went off at six when her stomach suddenly lurched. Her eyes snapped back open. Her stomach seemed to roll and suddenly bile hit the back of her throat. Hand flying to cover her mouth, Marinette sprang from the bed and crashed into the bathroom, dropping to her knees just in time to upchuck everything she had eaten for dinner the night before. She didn’t notice the loud bang as the door ricocheted off the wall, didn’t notice Popcorn’s yapping as the dog was subsequently woken up, or Adrien’s grumbled curse as he, too woke up.

Her stomach heaved again and she whimpered as bile was forced up and out of her body, her stomach already emptied despite her continuous dry-heaving. She didn’t notice Adrien call out to her as she hugged the porcelain bowl, or hear him pad quietly to the bathroom. She did, however, notice when his cool hand pressed into her heated shoulder blades. She moaned, leaning away from him, but he was undeterred as he swept her hair back so she didn’t get vomit in it. She batted weakly at his legs with one hand. “Go waaaaay, Adrien. I don’t want you to see me like this,” she bemoaned, pressing her forehead against the edge of the bowl. She could shower later. Right now, the coolness against her flushed forehead was too welcome to think of moving.

“Hey, hey… in sickness and health, remember? Come on, up we go. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Adrien said, wrapping one arm around her back and the other under her knees. He hoisted her up effortlessly, holding her close to her body, and she immediately turned away so he wouldn’t smell her vomit breath.

“We aren’t married yet,” she protested weakly. Adrien was undeterred as he sat her on the edge of the counter between the two oval sinks and turned on the tap, wetting a rag. He watched him with half-lidded eyes as he carefully wiped traces of her vomit from her cheeks and chin, pressing a kiss to her nose despite the way she tried to recoil, before handing her her toothbrush with a tiny ball of toothpaste adorning the bristles. She gratefully scrubbed her mouth as thoroughly as possible, gargling the water he presented her in a small plastic cup before leaning over and spitting it into the sink.

“Better?” Adrien asked, leaning in to kiss her forehead. This time, she didn’t recoil, leaning into his affectionate gesture with a sigh as her stomach seemed to settle.

“Almost. Can you hand me the mouthwash?” She asked. Adrien did as she asked and Marinette quickly gargles a mouthful of the minty blue liquid before spitting it into the sink as well. “ _ Now _  I’m better,” she promised with a weak smile. Adrien returned the smile with one of his own before pressing his hand to her forehead with a frown.

“You don’t seem to have a fever. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m okay. Maybe it was something I ate,” she suggested, allowing him to help her down from the counter. She stepped into his embrace as soon as her feet touched the ground and tilted her head up, resting her chin against his chest. “I love you,” she murmured.

“I love you too, Princess,” Adrien said, leaning down. Marinette stretched up to meet his kiss, but instead of her mouth Adrien’s lips landed on her nose again. She pulled back confused and he smirked at her playfully.

“You just threw up. I don’t think I want to kiss you right now,” he teased playfully. She let out an offended gasp and slapped his chest lightly.

“Rude, I brushed my teeth!” She whined.

“So gross, Princess,” he retorted, wrinkling his nose. She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head in response.

“Adrien Agreste you are the absolute  _ worst _ ,” she huffed, stepping past him to enter their bedroom. She didn’t get far before her fiancee was spinning her around and crashing his lips to hers, and she smiled adoringly into the kiss as she wondered what she had done in a previous life to get so damn lucky.

  
  
  


**One Month Later**

“Marinette, this is the third time this  _ week _  and it isn’t even Wednesday,” Adrien scolded gently, rubbing his retching fiancee between her shoulder blades. She moaned in response before a new wave of nausea hit and she leaned over the bowl to vomit violently once more. “Princess, this has been going on all month. There’s only so many times you can claim food poisoning.”

“No. No, Adrien, I  _ can’t _  be pregnant. I have school, and work and the internship… Omigawd, what will your  _ father _  think!? Adrien, we aren’t even married yet,” she whined, blue eyes watery with unshed tears as she blinked up at him.

“We can figure all that out later, Mari. But you  _ need _  to take the test,” he pressed. The young woman groaned but allowed him to pull her to her feet. He watched as she carefully cleaned herself up and brushed her teeth before reluctantly taking the bag. Inside, the test he had purchases weeks ago but which she had steadfastly refused to even  _ look _  at. “I’ll be right out here,” he promised as she shut the door.

Marinette emerged ten minutes later, face pale as she wordlessly held out the test. Adrien studied her face carefully before taking the test and staring at the little results window. There, plain as day, was a little plus mark in pink. Positive. Pregnant. They were pregnant. He glanced warily at his fiancee for any signs that she was going to fall apart but mostly, Marinette was just numb. Pregnant. She was pregnant. She couldn’t be pregnant… but she was. How did that even happen? She was on the pill… and they used a condom. How could two forms of contraception, used at the same time, just  _ not _  work? That wasn’t supposed to happen. She shivered violently, a sob catching in her throat so it sounded more like a hiccup.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, Mari. We can figure this out,” Adrien soothed, pulling her into his embrace. Her arms circled his waist as she pressed her tear-stained face into his shirt front. Sobs wracked her body, and she was dimly aware of Adrien rubbing her back comfortingly and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. She felt herself relax into him, her sobs quieting until they stopped altogether. Marinette allowed herself to be guided to the bed and seated on the edge. Immediately, Popcorn and Cheeseball both vied for a spot in her lap while Adrien sat next to her and picked up one limp hand in both of his, rubbing heat back into it.

“Marinette?” He called quietly. She lifted her tear stained face to his. “If you aren’t ready… if you don’t  _ want _  this… we can abort the baby, or put it up for adoption. There are options and I promise I’ll support whatever decision you make,” he promised. Marinette blinked, eyes widening to saucers, and she shook her head violently. Because despite her fears and worries, the thought of  _ not  _ raising her baby had never even occurred to her.

“No. No, Adrien, I want to keep it,” she said, fear flickering in her gaze. “Un-unless  _you_ don’t-” She broke off as a brilliant grin that could easily rival the sun split his face and he leaned forward and captured her lips in his in a searing kiss.

“We’re having a baby, Princess,” he breathed.

  
  
  


**Three Weeks Later - 4.5 Months Pregnant**

“Hello, you must be Miss Dupain-Cheng. My name is Dr. Pierce and I’ll be your OB/GYN,” the doctor, a tall and thin woman with long blonde hair and sea green eyes greeted as she strode into the room. Marinette and Adrien looked up, smiling nervously at the doctor as she began fiddling with the machine beside the bed.

“H-hello,” Marinette said quietly.

“Hi,” Adrien added. The woman glanced at him, eyes widening slightly with recognition.

“Oh, but you’re… you’re Adrien Agreste. The model,” she said in surprise. “Is this your wife?”

“Fiancee,” he said, and Marinette smiled shyly.

“Is this your first child?” Dr. Pierce asked, gaze bouncing between the expecting mother and father. They nodded simultaneously and she grinned impishly. “I can tell. You two look more jittery than a Jitterbug,” she teased.

“It was… unexpected. I was on the pill and we used a condom so we aren’t really sure how this happened,” Marinette offered, touching her stomach nervously.

“Well, sometimes fate has plans that surpass even the strongest contraceptives. You guys are about eighteen to twenty weeks along, yes?” Again her gaze bounced between the pair and it was a welcome change. Most women tended to focus solely on Adrien and ignore Marinette completely. It was Adrien who answered.

“We think so. We aren’t positive,” he offered. She nodded, used to answers like these, and had Marinette lay back and lift her shirt so she could spread the jelly across her stomach. The moment the wand touched her abdomen, the screen came to life and a steady pulsing sound filled the room. After a moment, a blurry blob appeared on the screen. Marinette and Adrien clutched at each other, watching in awe and disbelief as the wand glided over her stomach and Dr. Pierce made occasional sounds of speculation. Finally, she set the wand aside and grin.

“Well, congrats are in order. Your babies are perfectly healthy,” she said with a wink. There was a beat of silence as her words sank in.

“Did you say-” Marinette began.

“- _ babies _ !?” Adrien finished incredulously. Dr. Pierce nodded her confirmation.

“Yup. You two are having twins. A healthy baby boy and girl,” she confirmed warmly. Marinette and Adrien stared a startled grin before slowly, identical grins flashed across their lips. It was Marinette who finally broke the silence.

“We’re having  _ twins _ ,” she breathed.

  
  
  


**Two Months Later - 6.5 Months Pregnant**

Marinette glanced up as Adrien flopped down on the bed beside her, before turning back to the task at hand. It was nearing midnight and she knew she ought to be getting some sleep, but she wasn’t quite ready to call it a night. Sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed beside her fiancee’s prone form, she was surrounded by books covering everything from what to expect while pregnant, to what to expect during the first few years after birth, and perhaps the most important book of all, currently spread across her lap, a baby name book. At this point, she was flipping through the book and calling out random names. Probably not the most efficient method, but she had been so many baby name books thus far, it was all she had left at this point.

“Raven?”

“No.”

“Katie?”

“Too generic.”

“Jacob?”

“Too generic times infinity.”

“Sophie?”

“Cute, but don’t love it.”

“Roland?”

“Do you hate our son so much, Princess?”

“Adrien, you aren’t helping!” Marinette shut the book and turned to glare down at him. The blonde cracked an eye open and blinked up at her in response.

“I’m sorry, Mari, these names are all boring or horrible or just don’t sound right,” he whined.

“Adrien Agreste, we can’t just  _not_  name our children!” Marinette scolded, shoving him lightly before opening the book and flipping through it rapidly, pulling names out at random.”Violet. Olivia. Rose. Grace. Michael. Ethan. Kadon. Lucas. Lou-” she broke off, staring at a name on one of the pages and Adrien cracked both eyes open to stare at her in concern.

“You okay, Princess?” He asked. She nodded mutely, prompting him to sit up and try to see the name that had caught her attention. “What name were you about to say?”

“Louis,” she murmured quietly. Adrien cocked his head thoughtfully.

“I like it. Has a nice ring to it. Do you know a Louis?” He asked, studying her. She shook her head and turned to smile sheepishly at him.

“I can’t believe I forgot. When we first met, before you noticed I even existed and I was head over heels for you I- I kind of picked out the names of our future kids,” she admitted in embarrassment. Adrien sat up fully, interest piqued.

“ _ Oh? _  And how many children did we have, My Lady?” He teased playfully. She shoved him lightly in response but her smile was genuine and full of affection.

“Three. Emma Rose, Louis Adrien, and Hugo James.”

“I like Emma Rose and Louis Adrien,” he murmured after a long moment. Marinette turned to offer him a surprised look.

“You do?” She asked.

“I do. A lot,” he admitted, smiling warmly.

“Adrien? Did we just name our babies?” Marinette breathed quietly.

“I think we did, bugaboo,” Adrien agreed. The young parents-to-be shared a long look and then identical grins split their faces. They were wide and crooked and goofy and just a tiny bit manic but that was okay because perfection didn’t have a place in their little family. For the man who had to strive to be nothing short of flawless his whole life, here in their little bubble he could be as silly as he wanted and no one would bat an eye. The two moved as one, giggling uncontrollably as they wrapped their arms around one another. Adrien suddenly stood unsteadily on the bed, bringing the love of his life with him, and they bounced and giggled like hysterical five-year-olds, too overjoyed to care about how they might look because it was just them in the overpriced penthouse apartment. As if they understood what was going on, the twins suddenly kicked out and the woman pressed against her stomach, grimacing at the pain of her bruised limbs but smiling still. Adrien pressed his hand alongside hers and they sank back down to the bed, out of breath, filled with unadulterated happiness as they felt the tiny lives they had created move.

  
  
  


**One Month Later - 7.5 Months Pregnant**

“The twins have been quiet the last few days,” Marinette noted thoughtfully, shifting her gaze to glance at her fiancee. Adrien glanced up from the magazine he was skimming through. It was a very old, outdated copy. The kind that always seemed to be kept in hospital waiting rooms. He smiled warmly at his soon-to-be wife and reached out to touch her stomach. As she had said, there was no response to his touch but he shrugged it off.

“Maybe they’re resting? They’ll be here in under two months. I imagine birth must take a lot out of the babies, just like it does the mother's,” he mused quietly. Marinette dropped her gaze to her stomach and smiled warmly.

“Yeah? Maybe that’s it. You fathers get off easy,” she teased, nudging his shoulder playfully. Before he could retaliate, a nurse called for them and Adrien rose to help his heavily pregnant fiancee out of her chair. With less than two months to go before giving birth, Marinette’s stomach was huge and it was becoming increasingly hard to get around now. Clinging to Adrien for support, she waddled after the nurse and struggled upon the familiar table. The young couple talked quietly as they waited for their doctor to enter, and when she did they wore identical grins.

“Good afternoon, Dr. P,” Adrien greeted, wincing as the woman on the bed whacked him in the arm with the rolled up magazine she had taken from him moments before.

“Adrien, you can’t just start calling her Dr. P. That’s rude,” she scolded. “Hello, Dr. Pierce. You’ll have to excuse Adrien. He’s apparently taken leave of his manners,” she apologized. Dr. Pierce laughed good-naturedly and waved her off.

“How are babies one and two? Have you picked names yet?” She asked.

“Emma and Louis. They’re okay, I think. Lately, there hasn’t been much movement though,” Marinette admitted.

“That can happen from time to time, Marinette. I’m sure it’s nothing but if you want, I can pull up a Sonogram to check them,” she offered. The young parents nodded in relief and immediately the woman began getting her equipment ready. Used to this part, Marinette lifted her shirt over her distended belly and barely flinched when the jelly was spread over her skin. The wand touched down and they waited, expectantly, to hear the strong fluttering of the twin heartbeats that had rung out only a few weeks before when a scare with spotting had prompted the couple in for an emergency Sonogram. Marinette frowned cocking her head as if that would make her hear the heartbeat, while Adrien unconsciously leaned closer and slid his hand into his fiancee’s. The silence in the room stretched on, and on, and on until Marinette couldn’t take it anymore and forced the words past the lump in her throat.

“Are they okay, Dr. Pierce?” She whispered. The woman shifted her sea-green gaze to the young couple, slowly setting the wand down and flipping off the monitor.

“I’m very sorry but… I can’t find a heartbeat,” she whispered apologetically. Marinette and Adrien stared at the woman for a long moment, neither quite sure what to say to that. What did one say when told that your babies were dead, two months before you were due to meet them? How did one properly react to that? Marinette drew in a ragged breath, eyes swimming with unshed tears as she stared at the now blank monitor.

“How? How is that possible?” Adrien heard himself ask. Or at least he thought he was the one to ask. He didn’t recognize his own voice.

“I would have to run some tests to be sure… but it could be any number of things,” Dr. Pierce said gently. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” The woman rose and slipped out of the room as unobtrusively as possible. Once again, silence reigned over the room. Adrien stared at his fiancee, helpless, as tears streamed silently down her face. He was lost, unable to help or comfort her because how did you make this kind of hurt go away? And oh God, did it hurt. It was like someone had reached through his chest and ripped his heart out. He felt empty, hollow. A shell of a man. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. They were so close. Two months. Two months had stood between him and holding his children in his arms, seeing their tiny scrunched up faces and their wrinkly skinned limbs, and their chubby little hands. How did one remedy the kind of hurt that came from being so close to holding the life you created with the one you loved… only to have it ripped away.

“Marinette, I-” He broke off, unsure what to say. How was he supposed to heal her hurt, when this was eating away at him. The sound of her name seemed to break the spell that had fallen over her and a keening sob ripped its way up her throat and broke the silence that had filled the room. Dam broken, the woman curled in on herself. She clutched at her stomach as great sobs wracked her body hard enough to shake her frame. Adrien scooted his chair as close to the bed as possible, gripping the hand closest to him as hard as he could as a sob of his own burst out and his own tears spilled forth. Together, they cried until they were completely spent and then they cried some more. And when their tear ducts had run dry and their throats were too raw to sob anymore, they went home to their empty apartment, with the nursery filled with baby things that would remain unused.

  
  


They didn’t sleep that night, nor the next. People came and went, offered their condolences, brought food to stock the fridge. Adrien tried his best to put on a brave face for his family, their friends. When asked, he quietly mumbled that Marinette wasn’t up for guests, that she was sleeping, that she didn’t feel well. In truth, Marinette simply refused to leave the nursery. She sat in the armchair, nearly catatonic, clutching a teddy bear to her chest. Sometimes she cried. Other times, she stared listlessly off into space. Adrien tried to get her to eat, to sleep, to speak, but she refused. She was mourning the children in her own silent way, and it pained him to see her like this but there was nothing he could do. Eventually, sheer exhaustion won out and Adrien carried her to the bedroom and tucked her in, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead before returning to the living room. He stared around the apartment he had come to call home but in that moment, it seemed so empty and lifeless. So like the house he had grown up in.

Adrien dropped to the couch, burying his face in his hands as fresh tears burned behind his eyes, begging to be released. Popcorn whined quietly, pressing closer to him on the couch, while Cheeseball helpfully inserted himself upon the man’s lap. Adrien absentmindedly pets the pair, taking the barest hint of comfort from their presence as he stared off into space. The itch started slowly. First in his chest, then spreading to his arms and legs until he couldn’t just sit in the dimly lit apartment anymore. He needed to go, to do something, so he grabbed his keys and left. Eventually, he found himself in a bar. Adrien dropped into a barstool and lifted his hand, flagging down the bartender. He couldn’t say what it was he ordered… just that the drinks were strong and there was enough of them. But no matter how much he drank, he couldn’t forget. God, how he just wanted to forget. Eventually, someone appeared by his side and he looked up at her, blearily noting it was his old childhood friend, Chloe Bourgeois.

“Come on, Adrien. Let’s get you out of here,” she murmured, helping him stagger to his feet. He didn’t resist as she led him out to her car, or as she unceremoniously dumped him in the backseat, or when she climbed in after him. He didn’t protest until she tried to give directions to his apartment. He shook his head adamantly, the gesture sloppy and uncoordinated as he was very thoroughly foxed by this point.

“No. Not home. Anywhere but home,” he managed to slur out. Chloe stared at him for a long moment before finally telling the driver to take them to the hotel instead. It was late, and she was the daughter of the mayor, so few people saw her bring the very drunken Adrien Agreste up to her suite and those who did see would claim ignorance if asked. They valued their jobs too much to spread such gossip, even if it were true. In her suite, Chloe shook her head pityingly at her friend before settling him on her couch and beginning to take off his shoes. He would just have to sleep in his clothes tonight. When his feet were bare, she helped him up again and made her way to the guest bedroom. Getting in there was easy enough, but when she tried to help him into the bed Adrien suddenly grabbed her and they both toppled, off balance, to the mattress. They stared at each other, wide-eyed, and then Adrien closed his eyes and pressed his lips sloppily to hers. Chloe pulled away immediately shock and anger on her face.

“Adrien, no. You’re drunk. You’re with Marinette,” she scolded, trying to detangle herself. Adrien clung tighter, desperation flashing in his spring green eyes.

“Marinette hates me, Chlo. She blames me, I know she does,” he whispered, suddenly sounding almost sober.

“Don’t be ridiculous. That girl loves you,” Chloe scoffed.

“Hates me. She hates me. She blames me. I wanna forget. Help me forget, Chlo,” he pleaded. The blonde woman finally succeeded in freeing herself and stood up.

“You’re drunk, Adrien. You should sleep,” she whispered.

“Please, Chloe? I just want to forget. Make me forget, Chloe,” he whispered, grabbing her wrist and drawing her back in. Chloe hesitated, knowing this was wrong and Adrien would probably hate her in the morning and Marinette… they weren’t friends by any stretch but they had been on friendly terms since graduating high school and she didn’t want to do this to her. It was wrong, on so many levels. But she loved Adrien. She had always loved Adrien and she had been so hurt when he chose Marinette over her. So when he pressed his lips to hers once again, she tried to resist before ultimately giving in and kissing him back. And when Adrien drew her onto the bed, when their clothes began to come off, she gave up fighting him altogether because she had loved Adrien long before Marinette even knew him and it should have been her he chose. Maybe now, if she gave him this, he would realize that and come back to her. Maybe. Maybe they could be happy. Together. The way it should be. The way it was when they were kids. Together. Forever.

  
  


Adrien did not stay with Chloe when he woke up. His head pounded with a massive hangover, but it was with perfect clarity that he recalled what had transpired the night before and he  _ hated _  himself for it. He scrambled to dress and left before the blonde could wake up. A mistake. He had made a massive mistake. As he left the hotel he turned towards home but then he paused. Home. Marinette was at home. Marinette, who trusted him to be there when she woke up. Marinette, who needed him to take her to the appointment to remove their dead children from her womb. Marinette, who he had just cheated on. No. No, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t go there and face her. Not after what he had done. Adrien turned in the opposite direction and started walking. He had no real destination in mind but somehow, his feet carried him to Nino’s apartment. When he realized where he was, he sprinted up the stairs three at a time and pounded on the door until Nino tugged it, sleep-laden eyes widening when he spotted the blonde on his doormat.

“Adrien, what- Is everything okay?” Nino asked.

“Is Alya here!?” Adrien gasped, out of breath. Nino shook his head and Adrien shoved past him into the apartment. Nino closed the door and followed him into the living room where the blonde was already wearing a hole in the carpet, fingers tugging frantically at his hair.

“Adrien? Man, you’re scaring me,” Nino said, trying to calm the blonde. “Tell me what’s wrong. Tell me what happened,” he pressed. The blonde rounded on him, eyes wide and vulnerable and completely panic-stricken.

“I slept with Chloe!”

  
  


In the end, Alya ended up taking Marinette to her appointment. Adrien hadn’t been able to do it. But now, it was past midnight and Nino had finally kicked him out of the apartment and told him to go deal with his mistake head on. So there he stood, outside of his apartment, knowing he needed to face the consequences of his actions and not knowing how. His hand shook as he inserted the key in the lock, making him fumble a few times before he got the door unlocked. The apartment was dark and silent as he stepped inside and locked the door behind him. Popcorn and Cheeseball watched him from the couch as he walked slowly towards the bedroom. The door was cracked open, a dim sheen of light coming from under the door. He steeled himself as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He had expected Marinette to be asleep, but she wasn’t. She sat on the edge of the bed, a single lamp illuminating the room. Her head was buried in her hands but she lifted it when he entered.

“You’re okay,” she whispered. Adrien hesitated in the doorway, silent. “Where were you, Adrien?”

“I made a terrible mistake, Marinette,” he responded. Her face scrunched up and as it caught the light, he realized she had been crying again. Her face was shiny with unwiped tears. Had she been crying because she was worried? Worried about him when he was out being unfaithful to the one person who had stood by him this whole time? Crossing the room, he crouched in front of her and took her hands in his. Her blue eyes, wide and haunted from the events of the day and the past week, stared into his worried and confused and concerned for  _ him _  and he suddenly hated himself, more than he ever had before.

“What did you do, Adrien? Whatever it is, we can fix it,” she soothed, reaching up to rake her fingers through his hair. He paused to marvel at the change in her and silently wondered what Alya had done or said to rouse her from the lifeless state that she had been in when he had left.

“I… I slept with Chloe, Marinette,” he admitted. Her hand stilled in his hair and she retracted them to stare at him. He chanced a look into her eyes and saw horror, hurt, confusion, and anger in her eyes and knew he deserved whatever reaction she deemed appropriate.

“W-why would you do that, Adrien?” She whispered.

“It was stupid. I wanted to forget. I just wanted to forget, Marinette, but I remember everything and I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry Marinette. Can you forgive me?” He begged. Marinette closed her eyes, fresh tears leaking from the corners.

“I think I need to be alone now, Adrien,” she whispered. He nodded and rose without another word. Pausing in the doorway, he glanced back to find her curling once more into herself and this time… he knew he could do nothing to help her. He closed the door on his way out.

 

**Two Months Later**

Adrien shifted uncomfortably in his seat, eyeing the clock on the wall as he did so. When he had gotten the call, he had been hesitant to accept but Chloe was still his friend and she had sounded so desperate he simply couldn’t say no. So here he was, at a quiet cafe off the beaten path where hopefully no one would recognize them. He was wearing a hat pulled low over his blonde hair, large sunglasses, and a trenchcoat just in case. The bell above the door jingled and the blonde stepped in, adjusting her white-rimmed sunglasses but not removing them. He lifted a hand and she immediately made a beeline for the model, dropping into the seat.

“You want a coffee or something, Chlo?” He asked, quietly. She shook her head, brow furrowing in what seemed like annoyance.

“No, I’m cutting back on caffeine for a while,” she said.

“Okay,” Adrien responded flatly, sitting his latte before looking at her. “Why am I here, Chloe?”

“I’m pregnant, Adrien,” she stated, not bothering to sugarcoat it. The blonde male stiffened and tore his sunglasses off, spring green eyes wide with shock and horror.

“Is it  _ mine _ !?” He hissed, leaning closer.

“Considering you’re the first guy I’ve slept with in over half a year? Yes, Adrien. It’s yours,” she said, tugging nervously at the end of her ponytail. Adrien blinked, not sure what to do with that information.

“Are you keeping it?” He finally asked, a million times less enthused when she nodded than he had been when Marinette had. Adrien was silent for a long time, his stops a whirl of motion until finally, he summed his thoughts up in the only way he could.

“Shit.”

  
  


“Chloe is pregnant.”

Marinette froze, spoon halfway to her mouth as she stared across the table at her fiancee. The last two months had been hard, to say the least. Between Adrien’s infidelity and having to bury the twins, she honestly wasn’t sure how much else she could take. Things were slowly starting to turn back to normal and although Marinette was angry with Adrien, she had decided on that first night that she could come to forgive him. It would take time, but eventually, they would return to where they were. He was drunk and grieving and that didn’t excuse his behavior but she loved Adrien. She had loved Adrien since she was fourteen and couldn’t imagine a life without him. Or, at least she couldn’t until those words came out of his mouth.

“W-what?” She asked, dropping the spoon back into her bowl of cereal. Milk splashed across the tabletop but she barely noticed as she stared at the fidgeting blonde.

“Chloe. She’s pregnant,” he whispered, visibly shrinking under her stare.

“Is it yours?” She asked flatly. Adrien flinched before nodding quietly. The ravenette stared at the love of her life for a long moment, and in that moment she felt something in her shatter. That was it. That was her breaking point. Losing Emma and Louis had almost pushed her over the edge, but she had managed to cling just barely to the precipice. Learning of Adrien’s infidelity had pushed her a step closer. Learning that he was going to have a baby, created out of that infidelity, before their children were even buried in the ground? That was apparently her breaking point. She wasn’t falling off the precipice. She had just been drop kicked over the edge.

“Marinette?” Adrien asked hesitantly, when the silence had stretched from seconds into minutes.

“Get out.”

“W-what?”

“Get. Out.  _ Get out _ . Get your  _ fucking _  stuff and get the  _ fuck _  out of my apartment, Adrien!” Marinette’s voice rose until she was shrieking the words at him. She knew she sounded hysterical but she didn’t care. She was hurt and angry and she had long since lost her ability to give a shit.

“Marinette,” he pleased softly.

“Fine. I’ll leave,” she snapped, springing up and stalking towards the bedroom. Adrien scrambled after her, but she was faster and she slammed the door and locked it before he could get inside. She ignored Adrien as he pounded on the door and begged her to slow down and  _ talk  _ to him but she was done talking, and she was certainly done listening. She only packed the essentials, knowing she could come back later to get everything else. She opened the door as Adrien was about to knock again. He faltered, eyes wide, as she shoved past him and moved to clip a leash to Popcorn’s collar. When she turned around he was there, right there, his green eyes begging her to reconsider.

“Marinette, don’t do this,” he whispered.

“I’m not doing anything, Adrien. This? This is on  _ you _ ,” she snapped, turning away. She was a few steps away, Adrien frozen in place, when she remembered something. Grabbing the ring on her finger, she yanked it off and tossed it back to the blonde. He fumbled to catch it and when he did, his face paled at the implications.

“No. No, Marinette. You’re coming back. You have to come back. You can’t just  _ leave _  me. I need you,” he said, moving closer, his eyes desperate. Marinette stared at him, her face devoid of emotion. She wasn’t hurt or angry anymore. She wasn’t sad or scared of what she would do next. Mostly, she just felt numb. And alone. More alone than she had ever felt in her life.

“I don’t need you, Adrien. Not anymore,” she dealt her final blow in a muted whisper, but from the way he paled, the way his eyes widened with hurt, she knew he had heard her. Turning, Marinette left the apartment she had called home for such a short amount of time… and the man who had been her home for the better part of a decade. She didn’t look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual comment, comment, comment! I love to hear your feedback. I am pleased to announce that this story is going to be longer than originally planned. Not sure how long. Maybe ten chapters. Maybe more or less? Depends where I decide to take it

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, comment comment comment xD I love hearing feedback from you guys! I am definitely aiming for this to have about four chapters but depending on where the story takes us, there may be five or six instead


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